Objectors say relief road contradicts council’s net zero target and will damage local wildlife sitesA 550-year-old tree known as “Darwin’s oak”, 4km of hedgerows and an internationally-renowned wetland are threatened by a new road around Shrewsbury, which has gathered more than 1,000 formal objections.The £84.3m Shrewsbury north-west relief road planned by Shropshire council is becoming a local election issue, with the Conservative-controlled council arguing that the scheme, which completes a ring-road around the medieval town, will alleviate traffic and unlock land for housing. Continue reading...

Industry’s congressional allies defeated nearly all PFAS legislation while the Trump EPA killed, watered down or slowalked new rulesThe nation’s top PFAS manufacturers executed a lobbying and campaign donation blitz in recent years as the federal government attempted to regulate the toxic compounds.A Guardian analysis of campaign finance records found spending on PFAS issues jumped as lawmakers introduced over 100 new pieces of legislation in 2019 and 2020, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed strong new restrictions. Observers say the results are clear: industry’s congressional allies defeated nearly all PFAS legislation while the Trump EPA killed, watered down or slowalked new rules that never went into effect. Continue reading...

In the lead-up to a byelection, residents express outrage about decision, saying, ‘It’s not an expansion, it’s a whole new pit’A coalmine in the Upper Hunter Valley has been given approval to expand by the New South Wales Independent Planning Commission.Mangoola Coal Operations, a subsidiary of Glencore Coal, applied to extract an additional 52m tonnes of coal over eight years at the Mangoola mine near Muswellbrook. Continue reading...

Film about human-octopus bonding in an undersea kelp forest takes the top documentary prize at the Academy AwardsMy Octopus Teacher, the heartwarming story of a human-octopus friendship, has won the Oscar for best documentary at the 93rd Academy Awards, which are taking place in Los Angeles.Directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, My Octopus Teacher follows film-maker and diver Craig Foster as he explores an underwater kelp forest near Cape Town, South Africa. Foster appears to bond with an octopus he encounters living in the area. Continue reading...

Businesses must adopt Paris emissions targets even if the government fails to do so, big investors sayBig super funds have threatened to vote against company directors who do not make sure their businesses are committed to action on global heating that includes hitting net zero by 2050.The Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (Acsi), which represents investors that manage more than $1tn in retirement savings and hold about 10% of the shares in the top 200 companies in the country, said some boards were not tackling the climate crisis quickly enough. Continue reading...

The climate emergency should not be used to make poorer countries dependent on private finance

Investigation finds up to 40% of UK solar farms were built using panels from leading Chinese companiesSolar projects commissioned by the Ministry of Defence, the government’s Coal Authority, United Utilities and some of the UK’s biggest renewable energy developers are using panels made by Chinese solar companies accused of exploiting forced labour camps in Xinjiang province, a Guardian investigation has found.Confidential industry data suggests that up to 40% of the UK’s solar farms were built using panels manufactured by China’s biggest solar panel companies, including Jinko Solar, JA Solar and Trina Solar. Continue reading...

About 31,800 battery electric cars were sold in Britain in first three months of 2021The UK overtook France to become Europe’s second largest electric car market in the first quarter of the year, amid rising demand for cars with zero exhaust emissions.About 31,800 battery electric cars were sold in the UK in the first three months of the year, compared with 30,500 in France, according to analysis by Matthias Schmidt, an independent automotive analyst. Continue reading...

If politicians are serious about change, they need to incentivise it, say scientists and writersThe UK business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, is considering a “full vegan diet” to help tackle climate change, saying people will need to make lifestyle changes if the government is to meet its new emissions target of a 78% reduction on 1990 levels by 2035.But how much difference would it make if everyone turned to a plant-based diet? Experts say changing the way we eat is necessary for the future of the planet but that government policy is needed alongside this. If politicians are serious about wanting dietary changes, they also need to incentivise it, scientists and writers add. Continue reading...

The red list of species at risk is well-known, but the list for protected sites is quietly helping to ‘paint the planet green’When Kawésqar national park was formed in the Chilean part of Patagonia in 2019, just one ranger was responsible for an expanse the size of Belgium. Its fjords, forests and Andean peaks are a precious wilderness – one of the few remaining ecosystems undamaged by human activity, alongside parts of the Amazon, the Sahara and eastern Siberia.Chilean officials hope that Kawésqar will, one day, meet the high standards for protected areas laid out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and make it on to the organisation’s “green list”. Continue reading...

Australian smarts and Chinese industrial might made solar power the cheapest power humanity has seen – and no one saw it comingIn the year 2000, the International Energy Agency (IEA) made a prediction that would come back to haunt it: by 2020, the world would have installed a grand total of 18 gigawatts of photovoltaic solar capacity. Seven years later, the forecast would be proven spectacularly wrong when roughly 18 gigawatts of solar capacity were installed in a single year alone.Ever since the agency was founded in 1974 to measure the world’s energy systems and anticipate changes, the yearly World Energy Outlook has been a must-read document for policymakers the world over. Continue reading...

The tougher target for carbon reduction could dramatically reshape the fortunes of several industries – for better or worseBoris Johnson’s plan to accelerate the UK’s climate ambitions over the next 15 years, revealed last week, will hasten progress towards a carbon-neutral economy by 2050. The new target – to cut the UK’s carbon emissions by 78%, compared with 1990 levels, by 2035 – toughens an earlier pledge for a 68% reduction by 2030. This greater ambition could boost the fortunes of several low-carbon technologies which stand ready for a rapid roll-out. Here are the winners and losers from the new targets. Continue reading...

Warning comes after lack of new funding pledges at virtual summit attended by 40 world leaders and hosted by White HouseRich countries have failed to provide the financial assistance needed for the developing world to cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of climate breakdown, poorer nations have warned, after a US summit of world leaders ended with few new funding promises.The failure leaves billions of people at risk from the worsening ravages of extreme weather, as poor countries struggle with the Covid-19 crisis and rapidly mounting debt. Continue reading...

The administration has pledged to cut US emissions by half by 2030, one of the most ambitious goals for a developed countryJoe Biden has closed out a two-day climate summit of more than 40 world leaders by warning that the planet risks reaching the “point of no return” if more isn’t done to escalate efforts to constrain the climate crisis.Biden, along with several other national leaders, made a number of new promises in the summit. Here’s what it all means. Continue reading...

Is this the year to venture to a national park? Questions to consider include Covid risks, crowding and staffing shortagesFor most of the last year, Dan Stark has been cooped up in his home in south-west Portland, Oregon. But with spring upon us – and Stark’s first vaccination shot – he and his family have been dreaming of summer vacation. “We’ve been talking about what our Covid freedom trip is going to be,” he says.The family settled on plans for an RV trip the first week of July, by which time, they reasoned, they’d all be vaccinated. Stark began looking into parks the family had yet to experience and set his sights on Montana’s Glacier national park, known for its dramatic mountain views and stunning alpine lakes. Continue reading...

Did you know that tomatoes respond to a high C note? Or that the prickly pear made red fabric popular, and yams helped create the contraceptive pill?Often beautiful, sometimes deadly, but constantly ingenious, plants are the sources of life and delight, myth and mayhem.Their worlds are intricately entwined with our own history, culture and folklore. Some have a troubling past, while others have ignited human creativity or enabled whole civilisations to flourish. Continue reading...

Countries with poor track records on climate change, including Brazil and Saudi Arabia, were also courted at virtual summitThe US will work with Russia on ways to combat the climate crisis, President Joe Biden has announced, saying he looked forward to joint efforts and was “very heartened” by the country’s call for collaboration on new technologies such as carbon removal.But though Russia’s president Vladimir Putin insisted he was “genuinely interested in galvanising international cooperation so as to look further for effective solutions to climate change as well as to all other vital challenges”, he made no mention of reducing oil and gas supply or consumption. Continue reading...

Find a tree, bush or hedge and emulate Japanese custom of hanami by savouring sights and scents of springLife may be getting busier as the long, hard lockdowns come to an end but people are being urged to pause for a few moments to savour the sights and scents of one of nature’s precious but fleeting glories – the blossom season.The National Trust is launching on Saturday what it bills as the UK’s first ever “blossom watch” day. The idea is that people will find a tree, bush or hedge bursting with blooms, perhaps meet friends and family there and – if so inclined – share images of the moment on social media using the hashtag #BlossomWatch. Continue reading...

President had promised to double budget for environmental enforcement at conference organised by Joe BidenBrazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has approved a 24% cut to the environment budget for 2021 from the previous year’s level, just one day after vowing to increase spending to fight deforestation.Speaking on Thursday to the summit organised by US President Joe Biden, Bolsonaro pledged to double the budget for environmental enforcement and end illegal deforestation by 2030. Continue reading...

Executive order is a reversal for Governor Gavin Newsom, who faced pressure from environmental groups for previously resisting a banCalifornia’s governor has moved to ban new fracking permits by 2024 and halt all oil extraction by 2045.California, the most populous US state, produces the third largest amount of oil in the country. It would be the first state to end all extraction. Continue reading...

Scott Morrison’s summit claim that Australia is taking significant action challenged by Investor Group on Climate Change analysis

Six activists cleared of causing criminal damage to Shell’s London headquarters in 2019Six Extinction Rebellion protesters have been cleared of causing criminal damage to Shell’s London headquarters despite the judge directing jurors that they had no defence in law.Two of the group’s co-founders, Simon Bramwell, 49, and Ian Bray, 53, were acquitted on Friday alongside Jane Augsburger, 55, Senan Clifford, 60, David Lambert, 62, and James “Sid” Saunders, 41, after a trial at Southwark crown court. Continue reading...

World leaders will be unable to halt climate breakdown without strong action from biggest emitterThe US, the world’s second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, is now committed to halving emissions this decade.Joe Biden’s announcement, at a White House virtual climate summit, has thrown the spotlight clearly on the world’s biggest emitter: China. Continue reading...

Billionaires, CEOS and union executives to help sell president’s climate-friendly transformation of US economy at virtual summit

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including preening rabbits and fighting egrets Continue reading...

Rick Spinrad to head National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has key role in protecting environmentJoe Biden has tapped Rick Spinrad to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency at the vanguard of climate, weather and ocean science for the United States.Related: Joe Biden ‘looking forward’ to working with Russia on tackling climate crisis – live Continue reading...

New Mexico seeks to become an economy less reliant on oil and gas, but the extractive industries continue to exert their might on the state and its peopleAntoinette Sedillo Lopez quickly learned the harsh reality of New Mexico politics after she was appointed to fill an empty seat in the state senate two years ago. Continue reading...

The US, EU and UK are leading the race to cut emissions targets among the world’s biggest economiesWell, it’s complicated. The UK has committed to cut emissions at a faster rate than other developed nations, with a target of 68% cuts by 2030. That’s measured against its emissions in 1990; over the last few years emissions have been reduced, so measured against the 2018 baseline, for example, the cut needed is smaller. Continue reading...

Massive melting of glaciers has tilted the planet’s rotation, showing the impact of human activitiesThe massive melting of glaciers as a result of global heating has caused marked shifts in the Earth’s axis of rotation since the 1990s, research has shown. It demonstrates the profound impact humans are having on the planet, scientists said.The planet’s geographic north and south poles are the point where its axis of rotation intersects the surface, but they are not fixed. Changes in how the Earth’s mass is distributed around the planet cause the axis, and therefore the poles, to move. Continue reading...

One thing is clear: there is virtually no evidence that low-traffic neighbourhood schemes hold up emergency vehiclesIf you were to read certain newspapers for long enough, the message would seem clear: the main cause of traffic congestion is measures to boost walking and cycling – that is, separated cycle lanes, and so-called low-traffic neighbourhoods, or LTNs.LTNs, schemes to dissuade through traffic on smaller residential streets by filters permeable to people travelling by foot or cycle, but not by private motor vehicle – whether camera-enforced or in the physical form of planters or bollards – are at the centre of a particularly fierce transport-based culture war. Continue reading...

Activist changes Twitter bio after UK prime minister tells Biden climate summit there’s ‘nothing wrong with bunny-hugging’Greta Thunberg appeared to poke fun at Boris Johnson after he derisively used the phrase “bunny hugging” to describe climate activism – by changing her Twitter bio to read simply: “Bunny hugger.”The UK prime minister was taking part in Joe Biden’s virtual climate summit, which has brought together dozens of world leaders for a two-day event. Continue reading...

The government is under pressure to do more to tackle global heating but critics say the PM has instead employed ‘Trumpian misrepresentation’

Morrison tells Biden climate summit Australia on pathway to net-zero, but PM under pressure to increase scale of ambitions

Keir Starmer sets out scheme to bolster UK economy with secure jobs in clean industries

Climate activist asked to speak at hearing as part of push by Democrats to include fossil fuel subsidy elimination in billSubsidies given to fossil fuel companies are a “disgrace” and must be immediately ended, Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist, has told a US congressional committee.A sweeping $2tn infrastructure plan put forward by Joe Biden has proposed the rolling back of support and tax breaks for oil, gas and coal producers to help lower planet-heating emissions and pay for new investments. Eliminating such subsidies would bring in $35bn to the US government over a decade, according to the Biden administration. Continue reading...

Greta Thunberg appeared virtually before a House subcommittee Thursday to call on US officials to do more, saying it's 'not too late' to make real changes in the fight against climate change. 'The simple fact and uncomfortable fact is that if we are to live up to our promises and commitments in the Paris agreement, we have to end fossil fuel subsidies, stop new exploration and extraction, completely divest from fossil fuels and keep the carbon in the ground,' the climate activist said. Her comments came during the environment subcommittee remote hearing on 'The role of fossil fuel subsidies in preventing action on the climate crisis' and also Earth Day

Bob Ward says the museum is performing a vital public service in putting on the exhibition, sponsored by ShellGeorge Monbiot is wrong to dismiss the Science Museum’s new exhibition on carbon capture, on which I was an adviser, as “greenwash” (Why is the Science Museum still being contaminated by Shell’s dirty money?, 21 April). The museum is performing a vital public service by laying out clearly and instructively the details of this potentially critical technology, because citizens and consumers need to be fully engaged in the discussion about its risks and benefits. If this exhibition becomes collateral damage in the proxy war by activists against the oil industry, it could ultimately undermine the battle against climate change.Atmospheric carbon dioxide is already at a concentration that last occurred on Earth about 3 million years ago during the Pliocene epoch, when the polar ice caps were much smaller and the global sea level was 10 to 20 metres higher than today. Climate models suggest that it will be very difficult to limit global warming to well below 2C this century without significant amounts of carbon dioxide removal. It would be irresponsible and reckless not to accelerate efforts to develop technologies that could help us to capture and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while also cutting emissions as quickly as possible, in order to avoid dangerous climate change.

Government urged to bring in successor but learn lessons from ‘botched implementation’

Prime minister calls on countries to come to Cop26 ‘armed with ambitious targets and plans’With just over six months to go until vital UN climate talks, Boris Johnson has urged world leaders at a virtual White House summit to step up with plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions this decade.“It’s vital for all of us to show that this is not all about some expensive politically correct green act of ‘bunny hugging’ or however you want to put it,” the prime minister told the possibly slightly puzzled leaders. “Nothing wrong with ‘bunny hugging’ but you know what I’m driving at.” Continue reading...

US president tells virtual climate summit that ‘time is short’ to address dangerous global heating in a break from Trump eraJoe Biden has called upon the world to confront the climate crisis and “overcome the existential crisis of our time”, as he unveiled an ambitious new pledge to slash US planet-heating emissions in half by the end of the decade.Addressing a virtual gathering of more than 40 world leaders in an Earth Day climate summit on Thursday, Biden warned that “time is short” to address dangerous global heating and urged other countries to do more. Continue reading...

Joe Biden’s target is strongest contribution yet towards meeting 2015 Paris climate agreement, say scientistsThe US goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared with 2005 levels, will take the world closer to the reductions scientists say are necessary to hold global heating within scientifically advised limits, analysis has shown.The target, announced on Thursday before a virtual summit of more than 40 world leaders hosted by the US president, Joe Biden, would result in emissions reductions of between 1.5 and 2.4 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year by 2030, compared with the US’s current expected emissions, according to Climate Action Tracker. Continue reading...

The US will halve its carbon emissions by 2030, the White House announced before a climate summit later today. Plus, 200m coronavirus shots have been administered

What could go wrong with this idea? Well, quite a lot

Conservation organisations purchase 950 sq km biodiversity hotspot, helping to secure a vital wildlife corridor“These logs are historic,” says Elma Kay, standing in Belize Maya Forest, where she has been doing an inventory of felled trees. “These are the last logs that were cut here, for mahogany and other hardwoods, left behind by the previous logging company.”Trees will no longer be cut down in this 950 sq km (236,000-acre) area, after the land was bought by a coalition of conservation organisations to save one of the world’s last pristine rainforests from deforestation. “The forest will now be protected in perpetuity,” says Kay. Continue reading...

The legal battle over Byhalia pipeline has become a flashpoint in the conversation about environmental justice and the right of energy companies to take private landThis story is a collaboration between Southerly, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, and the Guardian.The only things Karmen Johnson-Tutwiler has left to remind her of her mother are a few photographs and just under a quarter acre of land covered in bramble and wildflowers that backs up to a railroad track. When her mother, Sharon Watson, died in 2010, she and her sister inherited it. “She always told me it was important to have a piece of property as your own,” Johnson-Tutwiler said. Continue reading...

US president hopes prime minister Scott Morrison will commit to more climate change action echoing the global pushThe Biden administration says Australia needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions faster than planned and the US president hopes Scott Morrison will commit to doing more at a virtual summit on the climate crisis on Thursday night.Although the Morrison government has promoted a “technology not taxes” approach to emissions reduction to convince allies that Australia is serious about making the transition, a senior Biden administration official told reporters Australia could not rely on technology alone to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Continue reading...

Coalition is under pressure for lack of action on climate change and has pledged $565.8m to develop technologies including hydrogen and CCSScott Morrison will use a global climate action summit organised by the United States president Joe Biden to foreshadow a spend of $565.8m over the next eight years to build international collaboration to drive development of some low-emissions technologies.The Australian prime minister will tell the virtual summit during a contribution expected on Thursday night that he wants to build practical, project-based international partnerships to accelerate new energy technologies and drive down costs. The spending, to be confirmed in the May budget, will be accompanied by additional domestic investment in hydrogen hubs and carbon capture and storage projects. Continue reading...

Swedish retailer is set to build wind and solar farms, and make first steps into energy storageIkea plans to accelerate its investment in renewable energy by spending an extra €4bn (£3.4bn) by the end of the decade to build wind and solar farms, while fitting its stores with electric vehicle charge points.Ingka Group, the owner of most Ikea stores, spent €2.5bn over the last decade installing 935,000 solar panels on the roofs of its stores and warehouses, and investing in 547 wind turbines and 10 solar parks to more than cover its own electricity use. Continue reading...